Oman · best October to April

Muscat

Muscat doesn't shout — it's whitewashed low-rises pressed between jagged mountains and a sea the color of dark glass, a capital that banned billboards and skyscrapers to keep its own silhouette. This is a city where the fish market opens at dawn, the frankincense smoke lingers in the souq by noon, and by evening the corniche in Mutrah glows gold against black rock.